The present disclosure relates to an accessory mounting structure for mounting accessories to an ATV, or other like vehicles.
Current accessory latching systems require bolting the accessory to a rack or other portion of an ATV, a process that can require a significant amount of time and effort. Generally this requires taking a plate, such as a flat steel plate, and placing it on the bottom side of an ATV rack, such as a steel tube rack or a composite rack, and then sandwiching the rack with another plate on top of the rack and fastening the two plates together with U-bolts or some other type of fastener. An accessory can then be mounted to the rack above or to the top plate. This system is expensive and the mounting process is very laborious and time consuming. Further, the inaccessibility to the bottom side of the rack plus the amount of time it takes putting the plate on the bottom and running bolts up through the bottom plate make this system undesirable.
Other latching or clamping systems are known as “P-clamps” which are in the shape of the letter “P”. Typically, the clamp is metallic and forms a continuous shape where a circular opening is formed to loop around a pipe or tube.
Attaching accessories or any other item to an ATV needs to be cost effective and simple. These latching systems must also be able to handle the rigor and generally “dirty” environment that an ATV is designed for. The capability to quickly attach and remove an item from the rack or other portion of an ATV will significantly improve the quality and functionality of the accessories.